Here. There.

Island Life

I finally made it to St. Simons Island! This, my friends, only took 16 years to make happen…

When I was in my twenties, I worked for a mid-sized hotel management company based in the Southeast. Every year our executives held a huge awards bash that took place at one of our properties on St. Simons Island, Georgia. The King & Prince resort was only a 3-hour drive from my hotel in Gainesville, Florida and all of my management team were invited to receive trophies and plaques for departmental excellence. Then one year I got word that I’d be receiving the award for Front Office Manager. I was so excited! I’d heard that we would be staying in complimentary villas on the beach and that I’d be able to walk right out of my room to take in the salty ocean air. Aaaaah…

Then, to save money, our company moved the awards ceremony to Orlando. I was bummed. Don’t get me wrong! I still had a great time and the hotel was fantastic, but the Embassy Suites in downtown Orlando ain’t no beachfront villa, guys, and anyone who has worked in hospitality knows that “comped” rooms for employees are sometimes the only way we can afford to stay in most of those places. To be fair, I couldn’t have afforded the Embassy Suites in Orlando, either, if I’d had to pay my own way. Ha!

No matter. When we made it to Jacksonville last weekend, Matt and I were glad to have a few days of recovery time from the two-day drive before heading north to St. Simons Island (my parents surprised Elle and her best friend with a trip to Disney World). We chose this place mostly for its close proximity to Jacksonville and because it was very likely to meet our separate and mutual destination requirements: great places to eat (Matt); great history (me); the beach (both). Seriously, you can’t go wrong with a coastal Georgia island that has a high population of rich people and is home to a National Park. Rich people on an island are magnets for restaurants that serve delicious food.

I can’t even decide where to begin with all there is to do on the island. Matt and I were there from Monday afternoon through Wednesday morning and only got a handful of things accomplished. We visited Neptune Park and spent evenings walking through the shops on Mallory Street. While hanging out on the pier, dolphins passed us by and pelicans fished for dinner while local islanders hauled up crab traps. Fort Frederica was stunning with all its Spanish moss and grazing deer. The beach at low tide put swimmers in the way of jumping mullet fish, an amusing combination for tourists. And every evening we returned to our room at the Village Inn & Pub and grabbed some drinks so we could sit on our own private porch. It was beneath a canopy of live oaks and palm trees lit up with small twinkling lights.

Everything was quite perfect at the end of the day. And, really, at the beginning and the middle of the day, too, because…sheesh, this place!

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4 thoughts on “Island Life”

It certainly was. I hope I’ve convinced my parents and neighbors to visit the island, make a day trip out of it. It’s only 45 minutes from my parents’ place. To think, I was so close to it for so long! Aaaah, it’s marked off my list, no less. 🙂